Direct Entry Inspector Programme

External candidates are being invited to apply for direct level entry to the police at Inspector rank.

The Direct Entry Inspector programme is for exceptional individuals with proven leadership and management skills, who want a challenging and rewarding career.

Although exciting, intense and varied, being a police officer is not a nine-to-five job, it involves unpredictable hours and working in high-risk circumstances.

An Inspector is an operational leader, generally responsible for planning and directing the work of a team of police officers and staff in a diverse range of policing activities, such as managing operations, leading briefings, reviewing incidents as they come in, allocating resources and responding immediately to critical situations.

As an Inspector, you would have to justify and account for your actions to ensure that you are working ethically, with integrity and to the standards the public expect.

While no specific academic or educational qualifications are required, candidates will need to demonstrate collective and adaptive leadership qualities, innovative ideas and the determination to make tangible differences in modern policing. You will also need to meet the same eligibility criteria required of other individuals who join the police service.

These include checks around your financial position, any previous criminal convictions, your level of fitness and whether you are a member of any political groups. A questionnaire to assess your eligibility can be found at www.leadbeyond.police.uk.

Deputy Chief Constable Simon Nickless said: “Cleveland Police is participating in the Direct Entry Inspector programme, and this will be a great opportunity for those with leadership experience to apply to be a police officer. The issues faced by today’s police service call for fresh ideas and new ways of working, and direct entry programmes can change the composition of police leadership by bringing in a greater diversity of experience, thinking perspectives and backgrounds.

“Direct entrants can support existing police leaders to bring about fundamental, positive changes to police culture. This could be your opportunity to have an impact on policing, the local community and wider society in a way you never thought possible.”

The future police leaders will be trained using a mix of classroom and on-the-job learning, including operational rotations at both constable and sergeant rank. The candidates will work alongside experienced officers and have dedicated mentors to help them achieve the necessary level.

This is an important role and the package is competitive. Rates of pay vary by force but you can expect to receive a starting salary in the region of £48,500 per annum. Under current arrangements, that salary will increase year on year, once you have successfully completed the programme. Furthermore, you will be guaranteed an excellent pension plan and a fair and inclusive promotion policy.